Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Shirley, a church singer and soloist, and Grant Bening, a sales training consultant and insurance salesman. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/19/Annette-Bening.html Annette Bening Biography (1958-) ] ] [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CO&s_site=charlotte&p_multi=CO&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6D15C7B010E1F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM PUTTING `REAL LIFE' FIRST MAKES BENING A BETTER ACTRESS] ] Her parents, natives of Iowa, were practicing Episcopalians and conservativeRepublicans.cite news|last=Dutka|first=Elaine|coauthors=|title=The Aura of Annette; If She Makes the Merging of Career and Family Appear Effortless, It's an Illusion|pages=|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1999-02-21|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/39146076.html?dids=39146076:39146076&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+21%2C+1999&author=ELAINE+DUTKA&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=COVER+STORY%3B+The+Aura+of+Annette%3B+If+She+Makes+the+Merging+of+Career+and+Family+Appear+Effortless%2C+It's+an+Illusion.&pqatl=google|accessdate=2008-04-29] [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A54023-2004Oct22?language=printer washingtonpost.com: Annette Bening, Acting on Her Maternal Instincts ] ] Her sister and two brothers are Jane Bening (born 1953), Bradley Bening (born 1955) and Byron Bening (born 1957). The family moved to Wichita, Kansas, in 1959, where she spent her early childhood. In 1965, her father took a job with a company in San Diego, California, and they moved there. She began acting in junior high school, playing the lead in "The Sound of Music". She studied drama at Patrick Henry High School.

She then spent a year working as a cook on a charter boat taking fishing parties out on the Pacific Ocean, and scuba diving for recreation. She attended San Diego Mesa College, then completed an academic degree in theatre arts at San Francisco State University. Bening joined the acting company at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while studying acting as part of the Advanced Theatre Training Program. During this time she established herself as a formidable acting talent in roles like Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.

Career

Bening moved to New York City, where she debuted off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre (McGinn-Cazale Theatre) in the role of 'Holly Dancer' in Tina Howe's widely acclaimed "Coastal Disturbances" (1987) opposite Tim Daly. However, despite the praise and recognition, it took some time for that success to translate to her film career. Her television debut was with the made-for-TV movie "Manhunt for Claude Dallas" (1986). Her first major role in a theatrical feature was in "The Great Outdoors" (1988) playing 'Kate Craig' opposite Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Her next role was as the Marquise de Merteuil in "Valmont" (1989) opposite Colin Firth.

Bening's next major feature, Stephen Frears's "The Grifters" (1990) starring Anjelica Huston and John Cusack, met with critical acclaim. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for "The Grifters". She followed that with her appearance in "Bugsy". Bening was offered the role as Catwoman in "Batman Returns" (1992), but after she became pregnant, the role went to Michelle Pfeiffer. In 1994 she played opposite 90-year old acting legend Katharine Hepburn in Love Affair. Bening was paid $3 million to play the role of 'Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger' in "The Siege" (1998) co-starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis. Her next role, in the 1999 film "American Beauty", would give her the highest-profile role of her career thus far. Bening played a real-estate agent in three different movies: "Regarding Henry", "American Beauty", and "What Planet Are You From?". She has appeared in three different Mike Nichols' movies: "Postcards From The Edge", "Regarding Henry", and "What Planet Are You From?"

She was originally cast as the mother in Disney's "Freaky Friday", but dropped out. She replaced Julianne Moore in her most recent appearance, "Running with Scissors", playing Deirdre Burroughs in the film adaptation of the Augusten Burroughs book. On December 9, 2006, Bening hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guests Gwen Stefani and Akon.

Bening is a council member for the California Arts Council.

Personal life

In 1985, she and her first husband, choreographer J. Steven White, moved to Denver, Colorado, to work at the Shakespeare Festival [ [http://www.coloradoshakes.org/Colorado] Dead link|date=March 2008] in Boulder, Colorado. They separated the following year.

She and Warren Beatty met on the set of "Bugsy" (1991), in which she played Virginia Hill, and the two began a secret romance. They married in 1992. She and Beatty live in Los Angeles with their four children, Kathlyn Elizabeth Beatty (born January 81992 in Los Angeles County, California), Benjamin Maclean Beatty (born August 231994 in Los Angeles County, California), Isabel Ira Ashley Beatty (born January 111997) and Ella Corinne Beatty (born April 8, 2000). Her marriage to Beatty provided an additional push to her career, simply because of the large amount of tabloid publicity surrounding the romance and marriage; Beatty had been a life-long "most eligible bachelor" and was considered a playboy, before he met Bening.